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QUACK, QUACK: Lawmakers amble back into town today for the first time since September. Here’s a look at what Congress might do in the first week of its lame-duck session before breaking for Thanksgiving and pumpkin pie.

IN THE SENATE: The upper chamber is scheduled to take up S. 3525, the Sportsmen's Act of 2012, which includes measures on habitat conservation and opening up public lands for hunting and fishing. The bill was being pushed hard by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) for passage ahead of his reelection battle with Republican Denny Rehberg (Tester was reelected), but Republicans resisted a final vote on it before the election.

IN THE HOUSE: The lower chamber plans to take up several bills this week.

EU airline emissions: House aides say lawmakers plan to vote on a bill shielding U.S. airlines from the European Union’s emissions trading scheme (a plan that could still change), which if approved would send Senate-approved language to the White House for signing. The European Commission yesterday recommended putting off applying the program to non-EU airlines to give ICAO a chance to create a global solution. Lawmakers argued that the bill is still necessary because the EU could reverse that decision if ICAO doesn’t come up with anything within a year. Kathryn A. Wolfe and Burgess Everett have more on the EU’s move: http://politico.pro/Q8Vqhk

Primatene Mist: The House could also move as early as today on legislation directing EPA to allow manufacturer Amphastar Pharmaceuticals to sell leftover stocks of the asthma inhaler Primatene Mist, which was banned at the end of last year by an international pact on products containing chlorofluorocarbons.

While the bill passed the Energy and Commerce Committee on a voice vote, not everyone supports it. In a letter to lawmakers yesterday, the International Pharmaceutical Aerosol Consortium lobbied against the bill because its member companies worked to develop CFC-free inhalers. “Such a drastic reversal in settled law would be (1) unnecessary to protect the health of asthma patients and (2) contrary to the United States’ important and longstanding commitment to international treaties,” IPAC wrote of the bill. “The only possible beneficiary of a reversal of the ban on Primatene Mist would be its manufacturer, which stands to garner a financial windfall if its limited stocks are sold.” The letter: http://politico.pro/SIimQc

Natural gas pipeline: The House also plans to take up the Senate-amended version of a bill, H.R. 2606, giving the Interior Department authorization to permit a natural gas pipeline through the Gateway National Recreation Area.

LOW-HANGING FRUIT: Besides the natural gas pipeline bill, the Senate amended a couple of other bills and sent them back to the lower chamber. Tacked on to a noncontroversial House bill on energy efficiency standards was some language from the long-held-up energy efficiency package pushed by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio). Senators also added provisions ordering a study on risk to Washington state waters from Canadian tankers carrying tar sands oil and keeping a heavy icebreaker from being scrapped to a Coast Guard reauthorization bill.

Sandy disaster aid: Lawmakers will probably move to allocate money for storm response and recovery, particularly given that some are still without power. Whether New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will get the $30 billion he’s hoping for remains to be seen.

LOOKING AT THE LONG TERM: Here are some other big picture items lawmakers will probably have to consider before the calendar switches over to 2013.

— Appropriations. The Senate and House have made their way through dueling versions of the Energy and Water and Interior/EPA spending bills (and every other appropriations bill, too). Will lawmakers be willing to take those up in a lame-duck session, given Congress’s makeup is about the same post-election? The continuing resolution passed earlier this year has funding through March.

— Tax extenders. All kinds of tax provisions — including the wind production tax credit — are running out soon. The Senate Finance Committee already passed a package that includes an extension for the wind PTC, and despite support from a number of House Republicans, that chamber’s leadership has remained elusive on the issue.

— Manhattan Project National Historic Park. One of outgoing Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman’s last bills sets up a national park at locations important to the Manhattan Project. There’s been no movement in the Senate quite yet. The House, meanwhile, shot it down in a vote requiring a two-thirds majority; Republican leadership vowed to bring it up again on a simple majority vote, where it’s expected to clear the chamber.

— Nuclear waste. Senate talks over legislation adopting recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Commission has been halting at best, but Matt Wald of The New York Times writes that lawmakers may be forced to act on Yucca Mountain soon. “[A] federal appeals panel indicated in August that it might order the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to restart a licensing hearing to rule on whether the Nevada site, Yucca Mountain is suitable. … The court gave the executive and legislative branches a few months to provide funding for the licensing hearing as part of the budget for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. Still, Congress has not acted yet, and it is far from clear that it will.” NYT: http://nyti.ms/Xzn216

— Farm bill. Talks on this measure also petered out ahead of the election. Watch for ag-state lawmakers to get increasingly vocal on this.

THIS IS THE SONG THAT NEVER ENDS… Counting of absentee and provisional ballots continues out in California, where as of Monday, Democrat Scott Peters still led Rep. Brian Bilbray, and Ami Bera was beating Republican Rep. Dan Lungren. Peters and Bera are in Washington this week for orientation — a program run, notably, by Lungren, who is chairman of the House Administration Committee. “I think it will be interesting,” Bera told The Washington Post on the orientation. “I’ve not talked to Lungren since the election, so it’ll be my first chance to shake his hand.” WaPo: http://wapo.st/TwJYZY

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT: Today’s print edition includes a special section on energy issues now that the election is over. Pros got these stories Monday, but here’s a quick rundown for everyone else.

Time of plenty may bring trouble: Long a beggar on the world energy stage, the United States is entering what many experts are calling an era of growing abundance — perhaps enough to turn the nation into a net exporter of oil and natural gas by the end of the decade. But along with jobs and profits, an age of plenty would create brand-new conflicts. Talia Buford and Matt Daily dive in: http://politi.co/QCMzof

Vitter ready for top GOP slot on EPW: Sen. David Vitter is set to take over as the panel’s ranking member just in time to play a key role in ferrying through legislation that would authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to take on a host of projects. And at the mouth of the Mississippi River, that’s a big deal. “We probably deal with and are at the mercy of the Corps of Engineers more than any other state,” Vitter told Erica Martinson: http://politi.co/PPYOfA

Opponents gearing up to kill PTC extension: Lobbyists on both sides of the debate say momentum is building to extend the wind production tax credit, which expires at the end of the year. But a loose coalition of well-funded conservative groups is hoping to kill the tax credit by making it toxic for Republicans. Andrew Restuccia has details: http://politi.co/RUBagc

** A message from America’s Natural Gas Alliance: Natural gas is creating jobs and adding tremendous value to state economies across the country. Curious what the role of this clean abundant resource is in your state? Visit our interactive map at http://bit.ly/QvCZMY. **

IER HITS USING CARBON TAX REVENUE TO OFFSET OTHER TAXES: The Institute for Energy Research is coming out strong against any discussion of using the revenue from a carbon tax to offset a drop in payroll and other taxes. The group says in a new report slated for release later today that there are “both technical and pragmatic flaws” in claims by conservative supporters of a carbon tax that the proposal would “lead to more economic growth immediately, and would reduce future climate change damages as a bonus.” POLITICO reported Friday that the concept of a “tax swap” is being pushed by some economists, conservatives and environmentalists, but has so far gained little traction on Capitol Hill. The report: http://bit.ly/UDKy6W

— Anti-tax lobbyist Grover Norquist reiterated to the National Journal yesterday his position that instituting a carbon tax while cutting income tax wouldn’t violate the pledge taken by many Republicans not to raise taxes. “It’s possible you could structure something that wasn’t an increase and didn’t violate the pledge,” he said. NJ: http://bit.ly/Zigymz

THE LAST LAUGH: At an event in New York last night to announce Tesla’s Model S sedan as Motor Trend’s Car of the Year, CEO Elon Musk took Mitt Romney to task for saying at an October presidential debate that Tesla is a “loser.” “In retrospect, he was right about the object of that statement, but not the subject,” Musk quipped, according to Slate: http://slate.me/TBXFEl

RALLS TO ADMINISTRATION: YOU CAN’T HIDE: Ralls Corp., the Chinese-held company blocked by President Barack Obama from purchasing several wind projects in the U.S. on national security grounds, says the government can’t hide behind that rationale in court. “National security does not trump constitutional jurisdiction. Assertions of national security are commonplace in the relevant case law and do not override the constitutional requirement of judicial review for constitutional claims,” the company wrote in a brief opposing the government’s motion to dismiss: http://politico.pro/UkKvwf

AMERICA’S NEXT TOP ENERGY SECRETARY: Biofuels Digest is running a poll for who the next Energy secretary should be. As of early this morning, the frontrunner was Wesley Clark, the former supreme NATO commander, one-time presidential aspirant and biofuels advocate. http://bit.ly/Rzblmc

POLITICO PRESENTS ENERGY & THE PRESIDENCY: Join us on Nov. 15 as POLITICO reporters and energy experts break down the issues that have shaped the election and what they mean for the future of energy policy. Special guests include: Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council; Jack Gerard, CEO of the American Petroleum Institute; Karen Harbert, president and CEO of the Institute for 21st Century Energy; Jeff Holmstead, former assistant administrator of the EPA; Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.); Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.); Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.); and Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.). To save your spot, visit: http://bit.ly/Tyh1KX

TRIVIA TIME: It’s time for another POLITICO Pro Trivia Night — tonight. Pro’s Patrick Reis and POLITICO’s Juana Summers tee up questions on all things policy, politics and D.C. RSVP with your team of four to eholman@politico.com.

QUICK HITS

— California Air Resources Board Chairwoman Mary Nichols says the state is ready for its Wednesday auction of greenhouse gas allowances. Platts: http://bit.ly/PQbKSP

— Duke Energy says it met with SEC staff last month over the firing of Bill Johnson just hours after its merger with Progress Energy. Charlotte Observer: http://bit.ly/SYcd58

— Wind manufacturer Vestas has hired Chris Brown, the former COO for the city of Detroit, as the new head of its Americas division. Bloomberg: http://bloom.bg/UDE8Va

— LED bulbs are starting to arrive in stores to replace the old 100-watt bulbs. AP: http://bit.ly/T10X94

THAT’S ALL FOR ME. Have a nice day.

** A message from America's Natural Gas Alliance: We believe in a clean energy future. Natural gas is a cleaner energy choice and a key partner to solar and wind technologies. From California to Florida, natural gas facilities are working with renewable energy to ensure steady, affordable and cleaner energy choices for communities across our nation. Because it is an abundant and affordable energy source available right here in America, natural gas can help make the promise of cleaner energy a reality in more American communities. Natural gas is smarter power today. Visit anga.us to learn more. **

Readers' Comments (1)

Wind energy fared well in the Nov. 6th elections, as voters returned supporters of the wind energy Production Tax Credit (PTC) from both parties to Congress and allowed the current administration’s support for wind energy to continue uninterrupted.

In Maine, Independent Angus King fended off attacks on his role as wind project developer to win the open Senate seat.

Swing states with numerous wind farms and wind factories went for President Obama, whose campaign took the position that the wind energy PTC should be extended.

Given Obama’s strong support for the PTC, his win strengthens the industry’s position in the lame duck session and during tax reform discussions.

As the article mentioned, the PTC provides an income tax credit of 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour for the first 10 years of electricity production from utility-scale wind turbines.

The PTC currently supports thousands of American jobs and has helped the wind industry grow dramatically during the past decade. The industry currently employs 75,000 Americans, with nearly 500 factories from coast-to-coast producing wind turbines and components.

One of the key results of this growth is that the value of domestic content in new wind farms has increased from 25 percent in 2005 to more than two-thirds today.

However, the industry’s growth remains fragile, due to the continued sluggish economy and temporary historic lows in the price of natural gas. A recent study by Navigant Consulting found that a PTC extension would allow the industry to continue grow to 100,000 jobs in just four years, while allowing it to expire would kill 37,000 jobs within a year